Police tracing owners of stolen antiques

James Oxenham

Police are tracing the owners of a selection of antiques stolen in burglaries across the south.

Officers seized the items after searching a vehicle and shop owned by Steven Abberley of Findon Close, Hove, who was sent to prison last month.

Abberley, was sentenced to nine years for his involvement in burglaries of antiques worth more than £120,000 from properties in Cowfold, Friston, West Chiltington, Washington, Goring-by-Sea, Glynde and North Chailey.

Items were also taken from homes in Emsworth, Hampshire, Saffron Walden, Essex, Marlborough, Wiltshire, and Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.

Detectives searched an address in Hardwick Way, Southwick and business premises in Shoreham and found a number of items which they have not been able to be trace to any of these homes. Officers believe they may have been stolen from elsewhere in the country.

Detective Constable Jon Stadius said: “These items are very unusual and we are hoping people may recognise them and come forward so we can return them to their rightful owners. We have published every item we have recovered on a Flikr page for people to have a look at if they had antiques stolen from them.

“The offences which Abberley committed spanned less than a two month period starting on December 31, 2013, and ending on February 4, 2014, when these antiques were recovered.

“Steven Abberley, his son Mason, of May Road, Brighton, and Paul Ansbro, of Church Road, Hove, targeted those most vulnerable in our society stealing valuable and highly sentimental items, in order to feed their gambling and drug addictions.

“They were sentenced to a total of 19 years earlier in December.”

To see the full list of pictures, visit the Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/suspolproperty/albums/72157661891340420/with/23790556995/

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